


Dying Out

by ainamclane



Series: Little Black Dress RT Challenge [21]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, M/M, major character death (briefly)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 17:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7541587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainamclane/pseuds/ainamclane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Q is not happy with the outcome of the whole Sentinel and Guide situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dying Out

“Rigel X mission is a go then?” Trip asked Malcolm and stood from their bed. They had bonded just a few nights before, given that they had come online gradually and rather slowly over the past few months. They both found it a mystery as to why they had come online so late in life and together given that all other planets that had Sentinels and Guides and especially Earth had reported that they were dying out.

Malcolm smiled: “We need to get Talla back.” He shrugged: “We cannot let Archer go alone and make him miss his appointment to finalize the union.”

“And don’t you forget it, Sentinel,” Trip grinned: “We’ll make sure he makes it and that we get her back.”

“Of course,” Malcolm replied: “the crew is our pack and ours to protect above all else.”

“Not all, don’t think I forgot that.”

“No, I’ll always protect you first,” Malcolm agreed: “But this time it probably is the same thing and we have the Captain for backup.”

“Because we always get into trouble?”

“You know we do, ever since we ended up in our underwear bound to a pole.”

“You’ll never let me live this down, are you?”

“I’d be a bad Sentinel if I did that,” Malcolm replied: “At least that explains why I always was frustrated with you, why I tried to run the other way. Why you were so attractive as a partner for me.”

Trip stepped closer and kissed his lover: “I fell in luve with ya the moment I met you but I didn’t want to admit to it. I tried to hide it as well.”

“Just be glad I’ve kept you.”

“You kept me?” Trip asked flustered and glared fondly at the other man before heading out of their quarters. They laughed at that but were now focusing on the task and mission they had.

**

Malcolm looked at his Guide, holding the other man’s hand tightly in his and shaking his head. The pale skin, the erratic heartbeat and the smell of burnt flesh.

“How is he?” Archer asked, looking at Malcolm for confirmation.

Malcolm shook his head: “He’s badly injured. I don’t think we’ll survive the night.”

“We?” Archer asked, perplexed. 

Malcolm’s smile was sadder and more of a grimace than anything else: “We’re bonded, Captain. We’re at least an Alpha Pair. We’ll die together.”

“No-“

“Trip made his choice for us and I stand with my Guide,” Malcolm said, looking at the burnt skin of his Guide in stasis: “We’re there to protect and you were more important and we just had to protect you. You need to be there for the United Federation of Planets.”

“Malcolm-“

“I know he’s your friend but could you give us a minute?” Malcolm asked, looking at the Captain. He could feel the shields and threads connecting him and Trip to the spiritual plane, to the living world, failing.

Archer stepped outside and Malcolm knew the man was blaming himself for Talla’s rescue and the resulting invasion of the aliens.

Malcolm settled himself down on the small biobed next to Trip, wrapping his arms around the other man without hurting him. Trip came to himself then: “Mal?”

“Shh,” the other man said, resting his head on the bed next to him.

“I’m sorry, Mal.”

“I know,” Malcolm replied: “We decided for this together and while I hate that we barely had any time together, I wouldn’t change that for anything in the universe.”

Trip sighed: “But I killed us, Mal.”

“You didn’t,” Malcolm replied: “We both knew protecting the crew would always be our top priority. I failed to realize they had entered Enterprise and I failed in protecting you.”

“No, you’re not at fault. And I know, but if I hadn’t asked you to bond literally a few days ago, you could walk away from this,” Trip replied: “Mal, I-“

“You’re my Guide, Trip. No matter if you hadn’t bonded with me, I would still have died, just not that quickly. Seeing you dying is hard no matter what and I prefer being here with you over that.” Malcolm sighed: “If I would have been lucky, I would have zoned and faded. Given the medicine they would have left me as a vegetable for years until my body would give. Trip, this is better. You are my Guide; you chose the right thing.”

“Archer needed to get to the conference,” Trip nodded: “I love you, Mal.”

“I love you, too, Trip.” Malcolm replied and could feel Trip’s mind fading, dragging him right along.

**

Q was looking at the spirit plane and frowned. Sharing a look with Quinn, he found the other man just as grim and the Q Continuum wasn’t off much better.

“So we let this take its course?”

“No. This is unacceptable. He should have come online as a child,” another member, the higher council, said: “We need to correct that.”

Q snapped his fingers.

**

Malcolm had been online ever since he could remember. He was a kid when he had saved Maddie’s life and as a result came online. He must have been barely seven years old. Maddie had looked at him in surprise and tried to hide what had happened to the family but sadly, Stuart had found out what Malcolm was.

And that was one more nail in the coffin of their relationship.

Pressured into joining the Navy, Malcolm was going out to sea with his grandfather once before, as a Sentinel he just freaked out and ever since then, just couldn’t stand to be around water. Yes, he could swim, yes he had absolved training in diving and keeping alive but that was about it. If he never had to see water again, so be it.

Maddie was a constant focus point but given their different interests, their relationship was not too good after high school. Therefore, Malcolm was happy being away for college and being away from his family. It was easier to learn how to be a Sentinel around other Sentinels, even if they were barely three other Sentinels around. At least in Europe.

Malcolm’s interest in engineering and designing weapons was what made him join Starfleet eventually, even if his father had tried to make everything seem impossible. Eventually though, Malcolm had been accepted and absolved his training.

All the while no one in official channels got to know about him being a Sentinel. He had gotten access to Blair Sandburg’s research papers as well as any other research that was available. Having dealt with quite a lot of Sentinel-related problems throughout the years, Malcolm had tended to stick around certain habits that made him look repressed and tightly in control of his emotions, hence giving him a reputation in being cold and unreachable.

The martial arts training that Blair had recommended to learn was very helpful and as a result Malcolm had studied the traditional martial arts they used to teach in Blair’s time. Karate was easier to find around the corner than Gatka, Wing Chun, Krav Maga. Well, Krav Maga was more or less still in place of Starfleet security training but harder to find. 

Aikido and Karate were traditional forms and compliant so Malcolm had started with those. It helped him meditating. As a Sentinel, those fighting styles were much better than the newer methods they were learning and better than the weapons some random person had built. 

He would improve their guns to Sentinel-friendly eventually.

But first, he had to get on board of Enterprise.

**

The community of Sentinel and Guides was rather small. That in the time of information sharing was also a hard thing to keep quiet. Thankfully the society had made it a top priority that no digital information was to ever be released to anyone without your permit. The early twenty-first century had had a few huge scandals and worrisome troubles with information sharing so that they had backpedaled and made it more secure.

George Orwell’s Nineteen-Eighty-Four was still a must-read book even in their time. It showed all too real what could happen if people were monitored too closely.

In short, the fear of information being leaked was not that big anymore but Malcolm still had tried not to tip anyone off to the fact that he was a Sentinel.

The Starfleet Academy especially wasn’t really a place where Malcolm had felt comfortable showing who he really was.

It was a mere coincidence that he stumbled across a Guide. She was a sweet girl, Elizabeth by name, and stumbled across Malcolm by pure accident.

“Oh sorry,” she mumbled, looking at him in surprise because she could feel what he was: “You’re a –“

Malcolm cut her off with a shake of her head: “Don’t. There are microphones everywhere.”

“Right,” she grinned: “I am terribly lost. Could you walk me over to the Engineers? I am late to meet my brother.”

“Of course,” Malcolm replied and checked his watch: “I am also terribly sorry to not have sensed you. I keep my shields tight when I am here.”

She nodded and brushed her blond hair behind her ear: “Of course. I guess it does get terribly loud here.”

“You have no idea,” he replied: “So far I haven’t met a single Guide to help me out when I might zone so I keep it locked.”

“That can’t be healthy,” she frowned and linked her arm with his easily: “Just to keep you close. I’ll whisper so dial up your hearing?”

Malcolm nodded: “Done.”

“As a Sentinel, I can now tell you that my brother is a Guide as well and an Engineer. I will introduce you two and make sure he is on hand for you because I live in Florida.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine.”

She sighed: “Don’t you all say that at one point? It’s like this is a default saying for Sentinels ever since Blair wrote that book!”

Rolling his eyes, Malcolm had to agree that he fell for that. It was pretty much the first thing Alpha Prime Ellison had ever said to his Guide. As written by the Guide.

Approaching the Engineering Building, Malcolm indicated said building to the blond woman: “I will have to leave you now or else I won’t make it in time for my class.”

Elizabeth frowned: “Okay, but you have to promise me that we meet tonight so you have a Guide available if you are in trouble.”

Malcolm sighed but the logic part of his mind agreed wholeheartedly: “I promise.”

“Good,” she laughed, took out her com-phone and added her contact information to his: “I’ll call you at nineteen-hundred?”

Malcolm barely nodded before Elizabeth was running off. She reminded him of Maddie so much that it was hard not to miss his sister.

**

After loosening up on his shields, Malcolm had a hard time that day to get them to settle back down. It was as if Elizabeth had rattled his shields so that the whole foundation was shaken up enough that he would require deep meditation and hard Kata work.

Seeing that he had time left before Elizabeth would call, Malcolm went into a small workout and then took deep, calming breaths and focused on starting with his movements and patterns. Leaving out the Heian Nidan, he started right away with Heian Sandan, finding the Gedan Barai and Uchi Uke oddly soothing in his movements. He then powered through Yondan easily enough before checking his ankles and making sure he was warm enough not to strain any muscles before attempting the jump in Godan.

After Godan, he finally moved on to Hangetsu, having left out that particular Kata the previous training sessions due to its legwork.

Breathing a few minutes, he slowed down his training before using his Bokken for a few training moves though he found it rather hard to focus on the bamboo sword this time around.

Hitting the showers right before it was seven o’clock, Malcolm checked his senses again and found them in balance more than they had been all afternoon.

The chime of his com was going of when he closed the zip on his jacket: “Elizabeth?”

“Hey there handsome,” she replied: “My Brother Trip and I are at the Roundhouse.”

Malcolm smiled: “I’ll be there in five,” he said quickly and headed off toward that direction. He was here long enough to have been to the very quiet café that was rarely used by any cadets since it was more out of the way and rather shady in comparison to the other buildings.

The privacy that place would give them was ideal. Given that it was a rather old building; surveillance was nearly non existent. 

Approaching the building, Malcolm stopped dead in his tracks. That couldn’t be. Just no. Elizabeth’s brother couldn’t really be his Guide, could he?

Before Malcolm actually walked into the café, he knew Trip was already aware of him. Elizabeth might be, too, after she had bumped into him she might have a sense of him now but her brother’s reaction was definitely telltale. 

Trip rose to his feet: “Lizzy, he’s mine,” Trip said, not looking away from him and in case anyone was listening in not saying “Sentinel”. Malcolm was looking at him the same way Trip was looking at him.

“Oh my god, this is so amazing!” she said softly and nudged her brother forward: “Go. Both of you. I’ll be seeing you before I leave.” Trip still hesitated but she pushed him again: “Go!”

Malcolm had barely crossed the threshold when Trip was meeting him and they didn’t react by much other than stepping back out and heading for one direction that was the quarters’ complex.

“So you’re Malcolm?”

“Yeah, she ran into me today and asked me to take her to your building.” Malcolm replied: “She calls you Trip?”

“Charles Tucker the Third,” the blond man replied with an accent: “Just call me Trip like she does. Pretty much everyone does anyways.”

“You’re an Engineer?”

“Yep, working on the Warp six project,” the man replied easily: “You?”

Malcolm grinned: “Weapons. I’m currently on the defense grid for the new Enterprise.”

“Oh, then we might be working on the same ship eventually.” Trip grinned: “Well, more likely after we bond.”

“I don’t want you to feel pressured in going where I am going. As long as we discuss this…” Malcolm sighed.

Trim grinned at him: “Don’t worry. Fate will guide us as well as our spirit animals.”

“So we’re both currently working for the same cause and on the same ship. I’d say it is more than likely we would be assigned a spot there later on. If we tell them about our friendship or even working relationship, they’ll see us as a package deal and as a value given that one of us could more easily aid the other simply from having working experience together.”

“You worry too much,” Trip repeated: “I know I’ll know everything about you in a short while but getting to know you even a little bit before would be great.”

 

**

Getting to know each other was easy, given their genetics. Malcolm required a steady flow of supervision with his shields as long as they remained unbonded and for that it was essential that they worked closely together if possible.

Working out together and in a quiet gym was easy, seeing that many gyms nowadays offered private training or sparring rooms that could be rent. With walls around them and protected by security feeds, Malcolm allowed himself to drop his shields more and more. He allowed himself to depend on Trip. To learn Trip’s movements in Kata and fighting skills that rivaled his own easily enough. The bond, or the tentative bond, made them easily a match on those fronts. Trip would never be as good as a fighter than Malcolm was outside their training facility because Trip was getting a feedback from Malcolm, but Trip was a Guide and it was Malcolm’s job to protect him in any and all situations. 

The strategic movements behind Malcolm’s moves was forever lost on Trip. What the blond man was getting from Malcolm was only enough to keep the Sentinel stable but unless they fully bonded, they were essentially not able to be symbiotic or even so in synch that it looked like they had been training together for years.

Over dinners and lunches spent together, Trip and Malcolm talked. About their work, their lives, their plans for the future, their families and friends. It would be ridiculous not to talk about their goals because they needed to find a common ground. Malcolm really didn’t want to be one of those bastard Sentinels that kept their Guide from their true meaning in life simply because his career choice would be more considered if it ever came out that they were a bonded pair.

Another reason why Trip refused to bond so early on, even if it made it hard on both men.

Studying and doing researches together was easy and a companionship neither man had anticipated. It was as if they found a new best friend. A person they clicked with instantly and wanted to be around as much as possible.

That was until Trip was assigned after his graduation while Malcolm had another year to go. It was an unkind situation and required for Trip to be on Jupiter Station for the NX-Alpha for a while. Malcolm was secretly glad they hadn’t fully bonded yet. It would have been impossible to let Trip leave otherwise.

As it was, NX-Alpha was a great career choice until Enterprise would be coming along. The contracts about finishing Enterprise had barely been drafted and it would take some more time until the production of the engines and new technologies was underway. That was until NX-Beta and Archers and Trip’s efforts to save the project. Add that Trip was gone longer than planned.

That’s why Malcolm buried himself even more in his work. That and Lizzy who came by to support him while Trip was away. Her work allowed her to be with him for a while and keep his shields and senses sustained until such time that Trip returned.

And returned he did. Malcolm had known about Trip’s orders to go to a survival training in Australia were stupid ones but Malcolm understood. He himself had been through similar situations and understood the process. That Malcolm had absolved the traditional SAS training before being recruited was making him realize how important survival trainings were.

(And yes, Malcolm did spend time in the SAS training camp. They had been recruiting personnel before Starfleet and Malcolm wanted to know he could push himself through. He did make the basic training but was taken on by Starfleet after he fully finished his training. All in all, the SAS would have had a similar weapons department but stationed on Earth or Saturn while the Starfleet would essentially go beyond.)

So when Trip finally came back, they had to revert back to dating and getting to know one another which was rather annoying. Add that Malcolm had to work around Archer was also a cause. Malcolm had in the meantime made Lieutenant while Trip, a year ahead, had gotten a promotion to lieutenant commander. All in all, it went rather well.

As well as can be expected for Malcolm at least.

Therefore, when an explosion had rattled them all, Malcolm had simply flipped. He identified that the explosion had come from a direct attack. Two members of an alien race unknown to Malcolm had built a bomb and had blown up a part of the station.

The part where Trip and Archer had been, last Malcolm had checked.

The chaos and noise that erupted made it very difficult for Malcolm to hear the heartbeat of his Guide, to hear the sound of the noise and it was seriously pissing the Sentinel in him off.

Primal Sentinel. The one part Malcolm had always thought wouldn’t come out because he was in control. Hah, how wrong he had been. This was essentially a Sentinel’s worst nightmare. His people, his friends, his tribe, his race, his planet. They were under attack and Malcolm hadn’t even thought about it before he realized as if watching himself from above that he was close to the two aliens. Too close, closer and had put them down with a swift, efficient movement of snapping their spinal cords. All that after first assessing with his senses what even was their spinal cord.

He barely registered that there was no one else around them but Archer and Trip. Trip who had probably felt his emotional turmoil and simply reacted.

“Malcolm, I’m good. It’s all right, Sentinel. Come back to me, focus your smell on me and only me. C’mon Mal, don’t do this!” Trip begged quietly, ignoring the startled gasp from Archer about the fact that he was a Guide: “If you don’t snap out of it quickly we’ll be outed.”

That was it. Malcolm doubled over, gasping and reaching for Trip, burying his hands in Trip’s hair and uniform, dragging the other man closer until he was hugging him and breathing in the scent: “I thought I’d lost you.”

“No, I’m all right. A bit rattled, sure, but fine. Mal, I think you managed to get them before they could ham me. You did good. Now, I need you to focus your senses. Is anyone else here or hurt?”

Malcolm focused as his Guide advised and shook his head: “You were the only two close enough. I think you were the targets.”

“I believe that would be correct,” Archer agreed: “Are you two bonded?”

“No, Mal and I talked it through and it would have been impossible to be separated if we were bonded and our career is a big factor in the decision not to bond yet.” Trip explained, then focused back in Malcolm: “People will show up here in a second. Your levels?”

“All good now that I have you as a baseline,” Malcolm replied: “But Trip, -“

“Shh, I know. The bonding. This attack was too much,” Trip agreed: “Let me just tell Jon about us and we can go.”

“What else is there? Go take care of your Sentinel, I’ll deal with them,” Jonathan said and indicated the door: “I’ll fend them off and tell you what I told them.”

“Thanks,” Trip and Malcolm replied before they were stumbling out off the door. The bonding instinct, the instinct to gather his Guide as close as he could after this near hit was like nothing else.

**

Once Archer knew, Malcolm and Trip were pretty much assigned together. Even if Archer was just a Commander and not a Captain yet. He had leverage and used it greatly to get his way. Especially with the upper levels to get them assigned together.

Playing the part that they barely knew each other wherever they went? That was their discussion. Partly due to the regulations of relationships between officers and not to forget the part where they wanted to keep quiet about their bonded status. If Starfleet got wind of them, they would be reassigned someplace political and neither Trip nor Malcolm actually wanted that. They loathed it.

Hence, they were avoiding each other when working together unless Archer invited them out for drinks together. They kept a low profile nonetheless and Malcolm sometimes felt like he was intruding on Trip’s and Archer’s friendship. But Malcolm’s sense of protection quickly expanded to the other man as well once Trip had told him how Archer had saved his ass.

Archer, being a people person, quickly realized Malcolm’s problem with him and made it a point to drag Malcolm out as well to befriend him without Trip around. Reed was still thinking that that was actually what made Jonathan fight for him to be stationed at the Enterprise. Once the Captain had realized how much expertise he had in weapon’s development, how many weapons that were currently used were by default Malcolm’s and how high Malcolm’s security scores were. Add that he couldn’t assign Trip to the ship and not assign Malcolm. Trip eventually had no other choice but to stay with his Sentinel.

They were sure where they wanted to be and made everything possible for them to be taken on the crew for the NX-01. It was probably their fate as well, being assigned to a ship and exploring new worlds. And who would be better suited than a Sentinel and a Guide?

In the end, Archer lost the fight to bring them abroad the ship. 

Trip was devastated and Malcolm was short from a rampage because it simply was unfair that they both were considered the best in their departments but essentially not fit for space was a downer.

Being stationed in San Francisco was one upside and seeing Elizabeth was quite a boost. She had found her own Sentinel.

That they would be caught in an attack from space? – that was just bad.

**

Q frowned at the others and shook his head: “If they’re dead now, there is essentially no other Sentinel and Guide Alpha Pair to be on Earth.”

The Continuum agreed and one other voiced: “We need them alive. We have to correct this. For the sake of the Psionic Energy in the universe. If the last remaining Sentinel and Guide die out, the catastrophe is immense.”

“Not to mention we cease to exist.” Q said: “But does our survival justify what we are doing?”

The Continuum voted with yes.

**

The first mission with Captain Archer was easy for Malcolm. The crew was good and he could see some of them becoming his friends eventually though it was hard to completely trust anyone right away.

Trip and Malcolm were a different story altogether. Malcolm was drawn to the other man but sadly had no logical reason as to why he was attracted to the other man. It wasn’t something as simple as physical attraction or simply the character. It was something deeper and Malcolm tried to fight whatever it was with all he had.

Incidents that featured them both made them friends, if not great friends but at least they had learned to trust each other enough to work seamlessly and for Malcolm to speak freely whenever he thought Trip was in the wrong.

It soon came to be that they were working seamlessly together on any projects they were assigned. It went as far as Malcolm knowing his way around the Engine as well as his Weapons Lab. That and Trip’s help every now and then on his Phasers.

While no one knew about him being a Sentinel, Malcolm wasn’t stupid enough to think that no one would catch up eventually. 

Using his senses on the planets to keep the crew safe, the use of his abilities when they were invaded, his bad reactions to medications and his ill-temper when faced with emotional people.

Malcolm’s emotional abilities were strong and telling. He had had to shield his mind many times when they had come across aliens that had telepathic abilities. The Vulkan luckily reported species with those abilities and Malcolm usually was well prepared.

He had gotten more than one raised eyebrow from T’Pol for one or another thing he picked up but he doubted the Vulkan had picked up on the issue yet. She was smart, yes, smart enough to realize first what he was.

Sentinels and Guides were believed to be spread out across the universe. The Vulkans never reported any knowledge of Sentinel and Guides but the Starfleet’s research indicated that they had to come from somewhere and were believed to be alien due to some DNA research that had been done. So far they hadn’t had any luck in identifying a close human species that had similar DNA of the Sentinel and Guides as well as alien. Those Sentinels and Guides that were spread across the universe had moved there after treaties and space travel had expanded.

“Malcolm?” Dr Phlox asked him and Malcolm looked down at his hand that he had burnt by testing a Phaser. It hadn’t hurt and that on itself was rather telling where Malcolm was in regards of his shields and mental dials of his senses.

“I’m good,” Malcolm replied: “Please fix this so I can get back to work.”

“Are you in any pain?”

“No,” Malcolm replied and got a frown from Phlox. The doctor took his hand and started a skin repair as well as adding some alien plants that he wrapped onto his skin with a bandage.

“Leave that for three hours and then come back please. If you feel any pain in the meantime, do not hesitate to consult me.” The doctor said: “Oh and we should make a full scan of you sometime soon, given that you more than once ran out on me during your physical checkup.”

Malcolm sighed but nodded: “See you in three.”

Damn, a full physical checkup might just reveal what the humans at Starfleet had missed many times before. Namely that he was a Sentinel. While you had to specifically test DNA for those results to show up, Phlox’ interest in humans could just be the factor that revealed Malcolm’s status. That and not having the time to hack his way into the database to alter the results.

That and possible zones or spikes throughout testing. It had happened before after all but Malcolm had always been able to focus his senses on something else until he had been able to isolate himself and meditate.

His spirit animal had come to aid a few times he was about to zone completely. Zoning would result in everyone knowing about him and filing official reports about his status.

Walking back to the Weapons Lab to tell the others that he wouldn’t be joining them on their work for the next few hours, Malcolm decided to head to the bridge. There he could use his bandaged hand after all and be useful.

That and the tactical that might be needed.

Entering the bridge got him a frown and a raised eyebrow from T’Pol but Malcolm ignored her. Dialing up his sense of touch a little bit to feel when he was pressing a button was a bad idea with the pain but necessary even if that also meant feeling the weird stuff Phlox had added to his cream to literally crawl his skin.

“Lieutenant?” Archer asked and indicated his hand.

“Just a small burn, Captain. The prototype didn’t work as predicted and malfunctioned. Dr Phlox gave it three hours and some living plants.”

Archer grinned at that assessment and nodded. He knew Malcolm was officer enough to know when a Doctor forbid you from working, you followed those orders. Whether you liked them or not.

The most irritating thing about the burn though? Malcolm could feel it crawling across his skin. That alien thing, that is. Alongside with his nerve endings registering the growing and healing skin. When they were using the skin regenerator, it was too quickly for his nerves to fully register the sensations besides a small tingling sensation. This slowly regenerating alien species? Was making it very uncomfortable for a Sentinel. Hence one reason to tell Phlox about being a Sentinel.

It was on his agenda now, before other crawling things were used on him in the future. And not zoning was hard now. The flight was easy and they found to planets or aliens around so that was at least something. 

“Lieutenant?” Archer asked after a while and Malcolm looked up from the scans: “Yes Captain?”

“You are wincing,” Archer replied and Malcolm frowned. He really hadn’t realized that. A quick check on the time told him it was the three hour mark anyways.

Malcolm nodded: “Dr Phlox requested me to come back after three hours.”

Archer nodded simply in dismissal from his station and Malcolm went to the turbolift. The doors hadn’t even closed before he cradled his hand in surprise and dialed down his sense of touch even more. A 0.01%.

“Ah, Mister Reed,” Phlox greeted the other man and Malcolm sat down on the biobed.

“Something is wrong,” Malcolm said: “I didn’t notice it before but it feels weird.”

Phlox’ frown wasn’t missed by the Sentinel and the doctor quickly removed the bandage and frowned at the rash and angry red skin: “This is not how it should look.”

After using some scans and wiping off the excess thingys, Malcolm relaxed a bit because it already felt so much better: “I could feel those things healing my skin. It felt like a constant biting on the skin.”

Phlox’ hand dropped his and the other man stared at him, using a quick hydro-syringe to get some blood samples and quickly run a diagnostic. Malcolm knew what the other man would fin now.

“Is this because I’m a Sentinel?”

Oh how Malcolm secretly loved startling and surprising people. Phlox’ reaction was simply priceless weren’t it a serious matter: “Why didn’t you tell me before, Sentinel Reed? This certainly would have been avoidable. The physiology of a Sentinel is slightly different and of course animals are too slow in healing. They may be better but the constant onslaught of your senses would simply be overwhelming to any Sentinel. I am really surprised that you did not zone.”

“I dialed it down?”

Phlox angry gasp was telltale enough. It had been a bad decision to dial down his touch so low that a rash could form: “Do not ever do that again, Lieutenant. While our situation out here is less than ideal, I do not want to cause you harm. Feeling your own skin is also a matter of self-preservation. Without a Guide you may be more likely to be in a bad spot but I hope we can work on a safety system for you. I know you probably don’t trust me enough yet and telling me you are a Sentinel when you haven’t told anyone else and are putting your faith in me is humbling, I assure you, you have nothing to fear from me.”

Malcolm nodded and knew that the steady heartbeat of the other man was telling him how serious Phlox was in regards to security and privacy: “I must admit that leaving Earth wasn’t the smartest move.”

“We will find your Guide, Mr Reed, do not worry. While it may take slightly longer, you will eventually find them. But what made you leave Earth? Surely it couldn’t be your work alone.”

Malcolm shrugged: “I was drawn to the job and I want to protect Earth. I think protecting Earth from outside is possible and in a way developing new weapons is my way of making sure I protect Earth to the best abilities. With weapons come shields in defense to those weapons.”

“Ah, quite the logic,” Phlox agreed and did something else to Malcolm’s hand, using a gel to spread it over the rash and then some instrument before the skin showed its former healed state.

“Thank you,”

“Please come and see me if you have any other problems with your senses. Furthermore, if you require testing or training for your abilities, you are very welcome to see me and we’ll come up with a plan.”

*

“Something is wrong with me,” Trip said in the shuttle and huddled closer to Malcolm for body heat. He rubbed his temples and sighed.

“What is it?” Malcolm asked and wrapped the blanket closer around their shoulders. He frowned briefly and emotionally expanded his senses to be more alert. Well, not that it was of much use due to the space around them but he tried.

“I have a headache and you feel like a solid calm person though I also felt your fear of being stuck here earlier.” Trip replied calmly but winced again a few seconds later.

Malcolm’s frown made Trip raise an eyebrow and Malcolm was secretly glad they hadn’t drunk any of the alcohol yet: “What?”

“Isolation can trigger someone coming online,” Malcolm whispered more to himself than Tip: “Have you ever been checked for the Guide gene?”

“Err, no?” Trip asked: “You mean, I’m a Guide?”

Malcolm shrugged and contemplated briefly if he was risking the chance of zoning when expanding his emotional layers to assess Trip. This also would mean that Trip would be his Guide. It would explain his attraction to the other man. It would explain the odds of both of them landing on the same federal ship.

“I think you are coming online as a Guide. The legends say that an isolation can cause you to come online. The other factor would be that a strong Sentinel in your environment can bring you online if they are in distress.”

Trip nodded: “I know about the legends, Mal, I don’t believe a Sentinel is close around us now, though.”

Malcolm shifted and became nervous. Trip’s new mental abilities made him pick up on that and the blond man looked at him in surprise: “You are a Sentinel.”

“I am,” Malcolm nodded: “Phlox knows about it in case of an emergency.”

“Ah, that would explain your protective streak and how you sometimes just knew danger was lurking around,” Trip nodded: “I am your Guide?”

“It would explain why I have been attracted to you from the very beginning.”

Trip nodded: “My headache is getting worse. Is it wise to bond here and now?”

“I would prefer here before returning to the ship, if we are being found at all,” Malcolm said: “No one can interrupt our bonding time.”

Trip nodded and sighed: “Damn, this is rather unexpected but I can’t say I never thought about you and an attraction that was between us.”

“We can bond emotionally, Trip,” Malcolm said: “To give your empathic ability a buffer and for myself a better grip on my senses.”

Trip’s teeth clattering together was interrupting the silence around them that Trip took to think this through but Malcolm winced at the noise. The grinding of tooth on tooth was simply making his neck hairs stand up and goosebumps spreading on his skin. It was like nails on a chalkboard. 

Not taking too long, Trip nodded, reaching out for Malcolm’s hand: “I’ll bond with you fully. I know the legends and stories about half-bonds and how fragile they are. There is a reason why Sandburg published his thesis about bonding with sex is a better and more stable bond.”

Malcolm’s exhale in relieve was the best noise Trip heard until Enterprise came to the rescue.

*

Being rescued and on biobeds to warm up, Phlox was around and fussing over Malcolm at first but when Malcolm hadn’t let go of Trip’s hand, the good doctor had taken a guess and figured out rather quickly who Trip actually was.

And damn, that empathy saved their asses on quite a few occasions. Vulkan’s mind meld was nothing compared to reading the intentions of emotions and hearing heartbeats skip a beat when lying. Luckily, that seemed to be trans-species as long as the others had a heart-based organism.

Malcolm became terribly territorial after they bonded. Not only about Trip and any pheromones being thrown their way but also in regards to the ship and the crew. While Malcolm had known he saw the crew as his to protect, after bonding with Trip, it became a whole different level of serious protection streak.

It went as far as Malcolm redesigning their security systems, weapons and shields with the help of his Guide. While Trip, as a people person, was still more social and more adapt with human interactions, he nonetheless felt very protective and responsible for their crewmembers.

Losing a single heartbeat on a mission was always a deep cut into their behavior.

The latest example of Malcolm’s streak had been when Archer and Trip had been invited to another alien’s ship and were taken hostage. The airlocks and shuttle bays had been sealed but Malcolm knew where Trip was on the other ship and how he and Captain Archer were being treaded.

While T’Pol was the acting Captain of the ship, Malcolm had already worked on a few plans how to get his Guide out of there. He knew that Trip was over there, assessing their situation and keeping everyone as calm as possible while exchanging mental plans with Malcolm.

What they had discovered shortly after bonding, besides having spirit animals, they were mentally liked on such a close level that talking was possible. While it required a certain amount of mental capacity, it was not suitable for all situations but this definitely counted as a necessary means.

That they would have to tell Jon about it eventually wasn’t lost on either man.

Getting beamed into the other ship, Malcolm had nearly taken out the whole other vessel in the attempt to rescue his Guide. While he had a steady input of where the alien crewmembers were, Malcolm had quickly made his way to his Guide and the Captain, both relatively unharmed, and lead them back to the shuttlepod when they were intercepted by their kidnappers.

“Mal, do whatever you have to, to stay alive,” Trip had whispered. Jon’s eyes were huge and he was about to say something but Trip’s hand was covering the Captain’s mouth before he could say something. The transformation in Reed was imminent. Instead of the calculated armory officer, there was a fierce, feral Sentinel.

“Guardian!” the others yelled out in fear when they saw Malcolm but it was too late. And while Trip and Archer weren’t standing around useless, they merely watched as Malcolm was making their way through.

“Guardian?” Archer asked with a frown when they were in their shuttle and on their way over to their ship, flying under heavy fire but making it into the shuttlebay before going to Warp.

Trip turned to touch Malcolm, making sure the levels were even before turning back to Archer, about to reply but Phlox was interrupting them first, shooing them for quarantine and a medical examination.

*

As it came, before they could explain to Archer what exactly was going on, Trip and Archer were glued to the shuttlebay wall, an alien entity with mental abilities keeping them locked in.

While Trip’s mental shields were strong and not giving anything, the confusion and pain from Jonathan was a constant input on Trip’s shields. While the others were trying over and over again to find a solution, Trip had difficulties blocking the entity and Jon.

“What is going on, Trip?”

Trip sighed and let loose on the calming thoughts, hoping to also influence the entity. It was working instantly. The tight grip that was holding them in place eased a bit and Jon frowned, looking in surprise at Trip that got a mental command from Malcolm:

“Okay, Hoshi believes it wants to communicate. Try the feeling of home. We cannot talk to it like we would but maybe we can use the mental connection you have. You’re an Alpha Prime Guide, you should be able to do this easily.”

Trip tried to follow the instructions and got a mental caress of home back. Surprised, Jon asked: “You’re a Guide?”

“I came online in Shuttlepod one when Mal and I were stuck. He’s my Sentinel,” Trip said: “That’s why I encouraged him to fight for us on the ship yesterday. He required my guiding. And Guardian is essentially a Sentinel. It is believed that the origins of Sentinel and Guides on Earth come from aliens.”

“Well, that does explain a few things. But whatever Reed suggested, it seemed to work,” Archer replied: “Maybe try doing that some more?”

*

“We need to get Talla,” Trip announced to Malcolm and stormed into their quarters. Malcolm already knew roughly what had been going on so it was easy to agree.

The mission went fairly well and they got safely back on board of Enterprise. Malcolm was about to relax a little bit in his home environment but suddenly his senses came across a foreign heartbeat. Then another.

And another.

Startled, Malcolm turned to Trip: “We’re being invaded.”

“What?”

“I can hear them on board,” Malcolm said and grabbed the hand of his guide, with his other hand he quickly went to an access panel and typed in his security override, then turning to Trip who quickly entered his code as well.

They had been boarded and attacked enough by now that they had a few security protocols activating now. For example, every single terminal across Enterprise got a code word for being breached. In this case, it read as a notification from the mess that pineapple cake was being served.

Trip nodded at the code flashing across all terminals and with his free hand took a phaser, following Malcolm throughout the ship.

“Talla and Archer are still in the clear,” Malcolm said: “The attackers are moving in on Archer’s position.”

“Sentinel, protect your tribe at all costs,” Trip whispered. Oh yes, he would follow Malcolm into the feral state and so help him, anyone that wasn’t crew or their guests on board would be crushed.

Malcolm suddenly winced and Trip reached for his hand again: “Mal?”

“An error for a security door. I heard the bridge being sealed off by T’Pol and Travis. Hoshi is secured in her quarters and Phlox reported having read the threat assessment. The engine area is secured by our personnel as well as the armory.”

Trip nodded: “The captain?”

“Has not yet responded,” Malcolm frowned: “But his heartbeat didn’t elevate or skip a beat so I don’t think he encountered anyone yet.”

“Lead us straight to them. I want to get to them before Jon does,” Trip said and mentally reached out to project calm with a layer of resilience.

It was just a hallway down that Malcolm stopped Trip and with a few hand signals indicated his Guide where the enemies were. It was actually more for show because Trip had already gotten a mental location from Malcolm.

Rounding the corner and shooting the first ones down, Trip and Malcolm worked their way to the next level quickly, shooting and killing the next targets.

“Stop,” Malcolm said suddenly when Trip was about to enter a code for another blast door: “They’re right behind it.”

Trip nodded before concentrating and using his mental gift as a weapon. He rarely ever did but this was their territory being invaded and this was his tribe they were protecting. Feeling Malcolm’s limited mental ability alongside his was giving Trip the boost he needed to be stable enough for this task.

Invading the minds of their enemies and pretty much turning off their minds. 

Not being able to outright kill them was one thing, but damaging their neural pathways to avoid any action from being made was another matter. They were pretty much brain damaged after Trip was done with them.

And luckily enough, Trip wouldn’t even feel bad about it. Who said feral episodes weren’t ever useful?

Quickly opening the doors and physically killing the bodies, Malcolm continued along the corridors. Along the way they finally encountered some of Malcolm’s crew that was going from deck to the next in search for their enemies.

“How many are left?” Trip asked and didn’t want to expand his mental shields too far.

Malcolm replied more for the others than for Trip: “Twelve,” he focused on something: “The captain had confirmed the pineapple cake.”

Trip was secretly glad that Jon was aware of what was going on and essentially safe but he also knew their Captain was always becoming reckless in such times. Projecting more calm to the crew, Trip went along with Malcolm while Mal’s security team went another direction.

“Malcolm, I know you can hear me. Talla and I are hidden in a Jeffries Tube and pretty much surrounded from what I gathered. If you could get us out would be great.”

Malcolm nodded more to himself than anyone else and quietly dragged Trip along. Knowing where their enemies were was simply very helpful and gave them an easy time. Malcolm also conferred with a few of the security staff once everyone but the immediate surroundings of the Captain were cleared.

“They know where Archer has hidden himself but don’t know exactly where,” Malcolm said: “They guard him and it might get dangerous.”

“I’ll go in with you.”

“No, do your mind thing again. Any distraction might also be enough,” Malcolm said simply and waited for Trip to mentally reach out. Not waiting a second longer, Malcolm attacked with his phaser steady and killed the others that weren’t as affected by Trip’s mind thing than the others.

Knocking on the door to the Tube, Trip called out: “Capt’n?”

“Trip?” came the muffled reply and the hatch opened: “All clear?”

“The cake has been eaten,” Malcolm replied with a chuckle and then frowned: “Damn, they stink.”

*

Q looked about their conference: “I think this is an outcome we can accept.”

“We are agreed,” the others chimed in: “Now the next task.”

Fin.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! thanks for reading, please take a second to review!


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